Hitting The Highway: 1996 Chevy S10

By Way of The Low Road

Back in his high school days, Brian Evenson spent three straight summers working his ass off to save enough money to buy something to drive. What he ended up with was a ’96 S-10 that was bone stock except for a set of 15-inch off-road wheels and tires. Brian beat the piss out of his truck by taking it mudding, but instead of lifting it he threw in the towel on mud life and chose to channel his aggression toward the paved roads instead.

A 2/3 drop was the first phase of transforming the S-10 into a street truck, and soon after came a rear ’bag job. It would be another 12 months until the front end was also on the ground, but Brian couldn’t hack it to his heart’s desire because it was still his only mode of transportation. Once he landed a gig as a collision tech in ’06, Brian bought another truck to drive on a daily basis and parked the Dime for what would be an extensive reconstruction session. With his own experience, a group of friends with varying levels of experience, and a cozy space to work in, Brian’s forward progress on the S-10 was smooth and steady. “My boss was cool enough to give me a spot at the shop to use after hours. My friends and I did 99% of the work on the truck, and our skills in different areas helped get things done relatively quickly,” Brian says.

Working closely with a good group of pals turned out to be the best part of the experience in creating a feature-quality truck. “Working side by side with my best friends was awesome, and now looking back, we take great pride in the quality of work we did that we first thought was way out of our capabilities.” Confidence in all aspects of truck building reached a new level amongst the group, but the boost to Brian’s self-confidence skyrocketed the most. “I used to be hesitant to perform some modifications because of the difficulty, but now I’m not afraid of anything, and I know I can make things look right.”

With an immaculate truck and a reassured build-it-yourself attitude to show for the long days and nights spent in the shop, Brian now focuses on the reason why he built the truck to begin with. “This truck is always driven. It will never see a trailer.”

Special Thanks From Owner
"This build would not have happened without the help of my good friends. I would like to give a special thanks to Ryan Parr, Peter Abeyta, James Moe, Jim and Linda Pace, and Mom and Dad. I would also like to thank all of my friends who were always there when I needed a hand."